


Shallow Water

by Blind_Band_Geek



Category: Beetlejuice - Fandom, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King, beetlejuice 1988
Genre: Adam Maitland - Freeform, Barbara Maitland - Freeform, Beetlejuice - Freeform, F/M, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Scars mentioned, gore and death mentioned, hospitals mentioned, self harm mentioned, suicide mentioned, tw!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blind_Band_Geek/pseuds/Blind_Band_Geek
Summary: You can lie your brain, but never your mind. What if this were true for the couple who took a fatal fall into a river one morning. What if the movie we saw was only a illusion played by the brain? And in reality the world was much much different for mr and mrs Maitland? But, just HOW diffrent, how much had their minds really made up?
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

“Shake Shake Shake señora.”

The laughter of the ghosts and young girl filled the room as the parents upstairs tapped their feet to the delightful tune. 

“My girls name is señora, I tell your friends I adore her,”

It was everything everyone in the house had ever wanted. The Maitlands, a child, Lydia, loving parents, and the Deetz’s, a home away from home. It was almost like paradise ever since they banished the striped demon. Even though the Maitlands were bound to the house eternily they couldn’t help but smile as now the home really housed everything they ever wished. It was their own personal paradise forever.

“And when she dances oh brother,” 

Adam spun Barbara around happily, her soft giggles filling the air along with the music. The sun streamed through the windows illuminating the room with a hazy yellow glow. It had been roughly 3 weeks since they banished Beetlejuice to the Neatherworld, where he would stay for a VERY long time. 

The house was in eternal bliss now, I mean, dispute the whole, being dead thing. Though, together the maitlands could overcome it, just as they did with obstacles before. Barbara floated Lydia down as she giggled more as the young girl fell into her mother's arms. Barbara spun her around before placing the girl on the floor.

She giggled softly as she ran to hug her father who was just beside her mother. Nothing could separate the little family, not even death itself.

-

Barbara and Lydia have been in the kitchen, Barbara was teaching Lydia her homemade chocolate chip cookies. The deetzs bought the ingredients just a while ago when barbara gave Delia the list for groceries. The entire house smelt of Barbara (and now lydia)‘s wonderful baking as Adam worked on painting a model at the kitchen table. Every now and then he’d look up from the tiny house and up at the girls, Lydia whose smile was illuminated by the setting sun as flour covered her face and hands. And Barbara, whose hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and would occasionally sneak little air kissed Adams way.

Barbara helped to tie back Lydia's hair as she worked the batter to make the right consistency. Her sleeves were rolled up now and her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she folded the flower and egg mixture. Barbara would wave a hand and float whatever was needed next into the bowl, including a very heavy helping of chocolate chips. 

Barbara at first was weary of their powers, wonky ever using them if they were in dire need, like a sandworm attack, or if Adam was asleep on her lap and she needed to get a book from across the room. Now however she has gotten more comfortable, maybe even a little too much for her own good. Her favorite trick is cleaning things by levitation and then singing and dancing as she works on multiple tasks. Not to mention the Abundance of ghostly pranks she plays on the inhabitants of the house, living or not. 

Adam placed down the paint brush and tiny home on a paper towel so it’s drying layer wouldn’t stain the furnished table. He walked over to the two who were busy working over the cookie mixture. Adam placed his head in the space between his wife’s neck and shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She took no time responding as she ran a hand through his hair and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek.

“And how are you my love?” Barbara smiled and pointed a bit to the bowl. “Don’t forget the sides dear, you wanna get all the flour.” Lydia nodded and scraped the sides with the little silicone spatula. 

“I’m doing well but your legs look a little tired honey.” Adam closed his eyes and smiled slyly. Barbara furrowed her eyebrows a bit and thought, “but Adam aren't I levitati-“ 

Before she could finish she was hoisted in the air by Adam who was carefully spinning her around the kitchen and singing. “Mi Amor Mi Amor! Mi precisio otros!” Barbar let out a string of giggles as she kicked her feet. 

“Let me down Adam!” She was obviously joking with him as she giggled more. The two spirits danced more around the kitchen as Lydia took a second to watch, even sneaking a bit of raw cookie dough from the bowl as a treat. 

Adam eventually let barbara down as she floated unharmed to the ground. She walked over and placed small kisses on his cheeks. Adam couldn't help but close his eyes and go pink in the face, even if he was dead and technically it was impossible. But at the end of the day isn’t all of this almost impossible? 

When Adam went to open his eyes everything was oddly blurry. He waved his hands in front of his face and his eyes widened with concern, “Barb where are my!” Looking back over at the counter, low and behold there was barbara smirking with his glasses in her hands. She waved them a bit as Lydia giggled immensely making Adam go even more pink. 

“Missing something sweetheart?” Barbara laughed covering her mouth a bit. Adam roller his eyes and folded his arms,

“Ok you're quite the master honey, you win I forfeit. Hand over the spectacles.” This made Lydia howl with laughter, and made Adam even chuckle a bit at his own joke. Though, something was off.

As Adam squinted harder Barbara seemed to almost fade from his view, she was still smiling a hand over her mouth as she giggled about her prank. She wasn’t hurt, than, than why as she disappearing! He looked around frantically thinking maybe it was just because his glasses were off but it felt as if the whole world was crashing in on him, coming down in one big blur. Lydia's image smeared into a blob of black and barb a blob of pink. The walls around seemed to drain of color, soon the figures of his family till there was only white.

Nothing but white.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam shot up in surprise, his eyes took to adjust the room around him. He was no longer in the beautiful house playfully teasing for barb to give back his glasses, but a pale white hospital room, hooked up to a multitude of machines. He stayed laying as he looked around though it was very blurry, different machines buzzed at different frequencies and a curtain down the middle (signifying someone on the other side). He began to sit up as one of the machines beeped just a little bit faster, and he got a better view of the room if at all. There was a small table and chairs with a few cards and flowers on them, he couldn’t exactly read them but he assumed they read “get well soon”. 

Adam looked around dazed, looking down he noticed his flannel and pants were traded out for scratchy hospital clothes as well as a light blanket draped over his legs. The blanket was very thin, nothing like the quilt Barbara’s grandmother had made for their wedding, and the bed was very stiff and smelt of bleach or some sort of disinfectant. Either way the smell and feelings were less than ideal.

The room was pretty dark, the only light seeming to come into the room through the window on the far right side. The lights were all turned off which, in the case of bright white walls, was a good thing for Adam. The humming of machines drones in the background as he thought. He was obviously in a hospital, but why? What was that dream he had, was it a dream?

Adam attempted to get up but found it oddly hard. Mostly his limbs were very numb and the elevation of the bed didn’t make it easier to get down. Eventually he laid back down crossing his arms and feeling for the little wedding band on his ring finger. As his finger slid across the smooth metal he smiled and thought as he looked up at the tiled ceiling. Mostly of Barbara, and wondering where she was. It had not occurred to him she could be hurt, for he wasn’t other than some stinging in the face and numbness in his legs. Other than that he felt very much safe and alive. 

Speaking of alive, his mind wandered about the girl in his dream. Lydia Deetz, the short pale girl he and his wife saved from forced marriage to a poltergeist and ended up being the daughter they lost years ago. He wondered about her, was that a child of his who could have been? Or was she just all in his head. 

All the same Adam turned to the side as best he could getting a little tangled in all the wires connected to him. After 4 years of dating and a little under a month of marriage Adam forgot what it felt like to sleep alone in a cold unknown bed. Though he managed to drift off with the soft sound of beeping machines to a blissful rest.

However this time he wasn’t dancing to Harry belefonte in his beautiful country home cooking with his wife, but whisked away into peaceful darkness. 

-

“Mr Maitland? Hello. It’s me? Miss Martens.”

Adam blinked a few times before raising a hand to rub them, soon his eyes adjusted to the woman looming over him. She had bright red hair and green eyes. She had intense green makeup and red lipstick, but she was dressed as any other nurse was. She smiled and noted something down.

“Good good, it’s so good to see you awake, that’s very good progress from last week.” She finished her notes and stuck her pencil behind her ear. 

“Where..... Barbara?” Adam seemed to struggle for words, forgetting how hard it was to even call out his wife’s name. The nurse seemed confused but then smiled,

“Your wife Mrs Maitland will be in soon, she woke up just a few hours ago really, their re-patching her arm.” She shook her head as her eyebrows furrowed. “Terrible thing that happened to you both. Really...”

Adam tilted his head, “what.... what happened?” His mind drew a blank, as for details. All he could remember is that striped demon and that gothy teen from his dream. Beyond that it was all fuzzy, all except Barbara who he could recognize clear as day.

Miss Martinez nodded taking out the pencil again and writing things down. “You don’t remember do you dear?” Adam shook his head. She nodded. “You and your wife... took a terrible fall into the river just a few miles away... when we found you we assumed you to be dead, luckily we managed to bring you two into a comatose state, still not great but not dead.” She laughed trying to make things seem a little less bleak. “And hey! You and your wife are awake! That’s a good first step.”

Adam nodded and rolled over to the large curtain in the middle of the room. It was pulled back and indeed the bed was empty. The machines kept beeping even as the bed contents were shuffled around signifying the person on it had left. Nothing on the bed really recommend the inhabitant was Barbara, but he hoped with all his heart the nurse was telling the truth, and she was alright.

“Me Maitland I assure you she’s ok. Here I even had the first thing she said when she woke up.” She tapped her pen on the paper, “mostly she screamed a lot but we managed to calm her down and she started calling for you and Lydia?” She looked up, “do you know this Lydia Mr Maitland?” 

Adam looked at her puzzled, sure he did but he only knew her as a child in his dream not in real life. How would Barbara know that name, if she was only in his dream?

“No uh, I don’t recall.” Adam shook his head.

The nurse nodded and noted something down, probably about the name. The room was quiet for a while, possibly because both parties had nothing more to say. More so because words came hard to Adam, and Miss Martinez wasn’t too sure of what to say. So, she started for the door but was interrupted,

“Nurse?” She turned around to see Mr Maitland sit up, she almost pitied him, he looked so weak, but he squinted and looked around. “Do you know where my glasses are?” Miss Martinez shook her head,

“They broke in the crash, I’m sorry do you have a replacement at home?” Adam thought for a minute, he wasn’t too sure but he remembered the extra pair barb kept in his drawer just in case something like this happened. He nodded and she smiled. “You should lay back down mr Maitland, I’m not quite sure your body’s catching up with your brain yet. I’m positive your wife will be here shortly.”

With that the nurse waved and left, closing the door behind her leaving Adam once again in silence. He smiled though and felt for his wedding ring. It’s gonna be ok, not now but soon.

And that’s more than he could have ever asked for.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HI MOM!!!!! BARBARA !!!!!

Adam stayed sitting his arms crossed, he couldn’t move his legs, and he couldn’t understand why. They were fine in his dream, when he and Barbara had left that day for the store. Why all of a sudden have they almost stopped working. He was at least happy he could move his arms and still speak so, there was still hope for him, though it didn’t stop him from trying.

He tried moving his leg, wiggling a toe, stretching and everything didn’t work, neither leg did! He eventually laid back and sighed, it wasn’t gonna work so perhaps he should ask that nurse about it later… he let his mind wonder a bit, mostly wondering where Barbara could be

-

Soon something broke Adam out of his daze, it was the sound of footsteps outside the door. There were voices also echoing down the hall and under the door, it sounded like arguing and many many people. He couldn’t quite make out the exact words but a woman’s voice seemed to be yelling while a male voice was calm, perhaps calming her down.

“Mam we can't have you like this you must calm down!” The doctor tried to grab the woman’s non broken arm but she hit him away. 

After long the door swung open, and a familiar puff of curls was standing in the doorway.

“I’ll be FINE doctor! Really I just need to see Adam and then you can do whatever-“ 

“Barbara?”

Barbara turned around, it was her alright and she was already beaming. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was ghastly pale. She had small white scars littered all over her face, mostly a nasty one by her eyebrow and one on her neck. But, it was still her, his Barbara. And, no matter what she was still so beautiful.

“Oh Adam!” 

She ran over one arm outstretched as the other was in a sling bandaged up in a fancy looking cast. It was patched up so much and the bandages went up as far as to her shoulder blade. Adam struggled but hugged her back as best he could. There were many many tears and sobs, and the doctors and nurses sneaked out of the room at a point to give the couple some time alone. 

After a long while they parted, tears running down both their faces. 

“My god, Adam you're alive I.. I was so scared and I thought- and I just- and I-.” She stopped herself, “oh Adam, this is all my fault.” 

Adam shook his head stretching out his hand to hold her non-broken on. “Honey... it’s ok... we’re.. still here. Together.” He gave her a small smile, the kind she’d always gush over, and it seemed to have won her over. “If only it wasn’t for Ernie and his dog huh?” He smiled a bit trying to make light of the situation.

Barbara detached from her husband and threw her arm up. “If ONLY! Once we get out of here I’m going to have a serious word with him! Lucky I only have one arm right now!” Barbara was fuming and pacing around the room, but Adam couldn’t help but laugh a bit. It was so like her, and oh how he missed her. The REAL her. She kept pacing and she pointed a finger at the air.

“And how many times have I told that man to keep his dog on a leash! Enough to make my hair stand on end that’s for sure! When we get out of here I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind!” 

Adam laughed a bit as she went to sit on her bed holding up her head with one hand. They both fell silent after a while, only the sound of heart monitors and other things beeping away softly in the distance. 

“We should probably talk about this huh?” Adam looked over at his wife. She solemnly nodded,

“Yeah.”

-

“So, when did you wake up hon?” Adam looked over at her, she was looking down, a little ashamed of herself almost.

“About 4 days ago. Right after they took me to fix my arm again. I don’t want to know what it looked like during the crash because it was disgusting.” She pointed to the cast. “They said almost every bone was shattered and that it…” she felt tears start too well in her eyes but she wiped them away. “It might never be the same.”

“Oh honey.” Adam reached out for Barbara’s hand, the woman meeting her half way and taking his hand to hold. “I don’t think anything’s going to be the same after this.” Barbara nodded but her face twisted into worry.

“Adam why can’t you move much?” She stood up still holding Adams hand. She observed how little the man moved his lower torso.

“I don’t know, my legs just feel numb like they're not even there. I’m going to talk to the doctor later.” He laughed, “or maybe they already know and they just want us to figure it out.” Barbara nodded, she was still stoic but looking at Adams glowing face helped her to crack a bit of a smile, even in this grim situation.

Adam let go of her hand and raised it to her face, barb helping guide his hand to her cheek as he rubbed her face with his thumb. “Oh honey..” Barbara looked at him, he was no longer happy but his face was twisted with sorrow.

“What’s wrong?” 

“The scars on your face… what happened.” Barbara closed her eyes and leaned into Adams hand. 

“It was the glass from the windows dear, they don’t hurt. Do they hurt you?” She felt Adams arm go cold as she opened her eyes. He was frantically patting all over his face, hitting all the little white scars dotted across his skin. 

“No, I don't think they hurt.” Adam stumbled over his words still grasping the situation at hand. Barbara nodded and nuzzled again into his hand.

“You know I had the strangest dream, we had died but we were happy. And there was this little girl-“ Barbara began but was cut off by the door creaking open. In walked a nurse wheeling in a wheelchair, her face pale with sorrow. 

“Mrs Maitland.” She nodded. Barbara nodded back and kissed the palm of Adams hand before setting it down. She made her way back over to her bed, sitting down and crossing her legs politely. The nurse wheeled over the chair to Adams bedside.

“Mr Maitland.” She nodded.

-

**Author's Note:**

> The Spanish words Adam sings if anyone needs are “my love my love, my beautiful eyes.” ❤️
> 
> -
> 
> Welcome to shallow water! And au I’ve been writing for a long long time. It’s been an idea of mine for quite a while and I hope you guys like it! I’ll try not to give much away in these notes but it’s a lot of maitlands so CONTENT BOYS!!! Enjoy! Please always feel free to add feedback kudos and comments are very much appreciated!!  
> Follow me at @blind-band-geek on tumbler!


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